New England’s Best Road Rides

If you’re looking for the perfect place to put in the road miles, head north to Vergennes, Vermont. It calls itself the smallest city in the United States, but the 2,700-person town near the New York-Vermont border offers epic rides. One good option is Rebel’s Retreat, which starts in downtown Vergennes and heads toward the west shoreline of Lake Champlain. The route’s name refers to a skirmish between American revolutionaries against the British, likely involving a stolen cannon. The route offers a mix of flats and rolling hills through bucolic farmland with no major climbs, but if you want more elevation or more miles — or both — check out Champlain Bikeways for more rides. Another option is to stay at Everest Farm, a working farm whose owners and employees are avid cyclists. Not only can you stay the night and tour the farm, but you can also get repairs and route advice. If you’re in Vergennes and you need a part or just some local knowledge, go to Little City Cyclery, the town’s only bike shop. And fuel up before your ride at Vergennes Laundry, a French-style bakery and cafe on the premises of a laundromat that folded years ago. The star of the house is the cardamom roll.